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Opening the Church Doors!
~From the staff~
Happy Year of Mercy! Starting December 8
th
this year, Pope Francis has asked all Catholic Churches to open their doors; open their doors and show pardon, instill hope, and console everyone who enters. The text where he introduces this Jubilee year is called
Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy
. (check it out here.) Pope Francis will lead by example by opening the Holy Door of the Cathedral of Rome. We at the Gubbio Project know a thing or two about opening our doors and welcoming any and all in. We are excited to say that we have been invited to write a six piece series in the San Francisco Catholic weekly. Our series will be focused on summarizing some points made by Pope Francis; how we see what is being asked of all the Catholic churches in the world in our Church; and to get the perspective of people who look forward to coming to a church that is, what the Pope asks, "strong and clear as a message and a sign of pardon, strength, aid, and love." Our first piece will be featured in the September 11
th
issue.
~ Jose Lopez, Volunteer Coordinator
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Spotlight on Perficient
Perficient employees, Andrew O'Driscoll and Mike Cliffe have been volunteering at The Gubbio Gubbio Project for several years. O'Driscoll and his wife, Maureen Kelly, originally came with a regular group from Notre Dame des Victoires Church to cook and share breakfast with guests through our Breakfast Program. Mike Cliffe has been volunteering regularly as an Assistant Hospitality Monitor and also has brought friends to volunteer for breakfast.
Through Andrew and Mike, we've connected further with Perficient and are excited about the new partnership! Perficient not only came to cook and participate in the breakfast program with guests (pictured above) but are also providing The Gubbio Project with some pro-bono Salesforce support! This will be so helpful and save us staff time and (much) frustration. Thank you so much Perficient!
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An Interview with Emma and Tina as they complete 4 years at Gubbio
Tina Christopher
,
Gubbio's Program Manager, started with us as a volunteer while she was in a program. In Aug, 2011, in recognition of her unparalleled ability to engage our guests and de-escalate situations, and her energy and love for the work, she was hired as a part-time Hospitality Monitor. A year later, having become indispensable to the Project, she was offered and accepted a full-time position. In Sept of 2014, she was promoted to Program Manager.
Emma Fenton-Miller,
Gubbio's Development Associate, came to the Project in August of 2011 as a full-time Mennonite Volunteer. Upon the completion of her year of service, in recognition of her passion for the Project; her love of food, guests, and volunteers; and her keen insight into people and systems, she was hired part-time and assumed the duties of Breakfast Coordinator, Outreach, and Assistant Development - all of those jobs on 25 hours a week! In Aug 2015, she was promoted to Development Associate (and graciously handed off her other duties).
What is your favorite thing about working here?
Tina:
The opportunity to love so many people.
Emma:
The people who work here do so out of their own moral integrity. It is a staff of strong ethics. There is a diversity of beliefs, but each is encouraged to think about what one's ethics are and to act out of that.
Is there an instance or a conversation that stayed with you and has made a difference in your life?
Tina:
The comment that someone left in our suggestion box that said, "If it were not for this place, my life would ...
click
here to read the rest of the short interview
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Events
Going Away (See You Later) Party for Bella
TUESDAY, 1 SEPT 12:45-1:30, in St. Boniface Church. Izabella Sempari came to Gubbio in Sept of 2012 as a Field Education student from the Pacific School of Religion, and leaves us 3 years later to start a year long Clinical Pastoral Education program at UCSF. She established the chaplaincy program here, has made a tremendous impact in the lives of our guests, and has mentored numerous volunteer chaplains in the work of being present to those who are in near constant crisis. We will miss her! Please come out and help us send her on her way!
Evening of Fun: St. Boniface Fundraiser
SATURDAY, 12 SEPT, 5-9 PM, Boedekker Hall at St. Boniface. Food, casino-like games, and raffles at the first annual Fund-raising event for St. Boniface Parish. Come out and support the church community that opens its doors to The Gubbio Project every weekday. $20
Evening of Comedy with W. Kamau Bell
THURSDAY, 3 DEC, 7 PM, at Zendesk, 989 Market St.
Please mark your calendars for this fund-raiser for the Gubbio Project by socio-political comedian Kamau Bell. Tickets available soon.
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"Sleeping in public is precisely the type of universal and unavoidable conduct that is necessary for human survival for homeless individuals who lack access to shelter space," a Justice Department lawyer said in the filing to a federal judge. "If a person literally has nowhere else to go, then enforcement of the anti-camping ordinance against that person criminalizes her for being homeless."
~
Read the full article on the U.S. Department of Jusice Statement of Interest addressing criminalization of sleeping in public in the SF Gate
here.
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9 Things to Do When You See Homeless People
(from the Coalition on Homelessness)
- Introduce yourself.
- Be a good neighbor: Offer a sandwich or a new pair of socks, if it seems like these are useful.
- If the person is in psychiatric crisis, call Mobile Crisis:
(415) 970-4000.
Do not call the police.
- If the person requests medical help or is unconscious, call 911. Make it clear that this is a medical and not a police emergency.
- If the person is medically com-promised but not in need of an ambulance, call the HOT team at (415) 734-4233.
- Learn the homeless services in your area. Support the group as a volunteer or donor.
- Call your Supervisor and the Mayor's Office and pressure them to double the number of homeless units in their affordable housing pipeline.
- If your neighborhood is short on public restrooms (and it is), call DPW and pressure them to put in "Pit Stops.
- Organize your neighbors and invite a speaker to talk about real solutions to homelessness, and how San Francisco could do better. The Coalition can help.
1 Thing Not to Do
Do Not Call the police. Never call the police on people who aren't threats. Thousands of homeless people end up cited and often incarcerated every year for no offense greater than sleeping. Police contact can actually prolong a person's homelessness.
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Womb.
~ From the Staff ~
My life is
tied together
by sinews and strings
walking
up and down
in a package of
worried mind.
Bits of ghost memories
bite the dust
inside empty tombs
where I can't remember
never
having a memory.
It's dark inside
and I can't see myself
inside this fear that
has never gone away,
or been forgotten.
You are not there.
- by Ed Bowers,
Hospitality Monitor
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